Successful Aging
First ‘Wise Elder Changemaker’ Awards Celebrate San Diegans Age 65+
Five remarkable people are being celebrated by the UC San Diego Life Course Scholars Program with “Wise Elder Changemaker” awards supported by the UC San Diego Center for Healthy Aging. Born out of a desire to highlight the life work and current accomplishments of San Diegans 65 years and older “who have had a significant impact on people, land, communities, and movements for change across our region,” the inaugural awards recognize change-making work that ranges from food justice to housing advocacy, from the arts to gender and racial equity, to community healing.
Wise Elder Changemakers Series
The article above is just a preview of what’s ahead! Stay tuned for our upcoming series on Successful Agers in Action, where we will dive deeper into the amazing accomplishments of this year's Wise Elder Changemakers: Alice Yee: The Pathbreaker for Women’s Rights, Makeda Cheatom: The Cultural Competent Bridge Builder, Diane Moss: The Food Justice Leader, Bruce Carron: The Strident Advocate for Unhoused Seniors, and Randy Edmonds: The Tireless Native American Indian Activist. In this series, we will learn about Alice’s career as a “change agent” where she fought for women's rights on college campuses; Diane’s creation of the Mt. Hope Community Garden, to bring fresh, organic foods to food deserts in San Diego; Bruce’s journey from homelessness to fierce advocate for the unhoused senior population; Randy’s position as a spiritual leader and Master of Ceremonies for Native American Indians and his past experiences with relocation programs; and Makeda’s mission to bring world peace through music, dance, and the arts, as the founder of the WorldBeat Cultural Center, broadcaster of her radio show, Reggae Makossa, and winner of dozens of awards around California. Through this series, authored by Kassidy Wade, a UC San Diego student, we will celebrate them, learn from them, and shine a light on the causes they are fighting for.
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